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PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN THEPRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN THE NILGIRIS – A CASE STUDYNILGIRIS – A CASE STUDYN. Selvaraj, B. Ramaraj and B. AnitaHorticultural Research Station,Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,Udhagamandalam - 643 001
The Nilgiris, the queen of hill stations, is considered to be the lungs of thesouthern states as the wealth of the southern states depends mainly on the health of the Nilgiris eco-system. The rich, organic fertile soil conditions existing in this district madeagriculture successful. The mild summer and mild winter prevailing in the Nilgiris favour the cultivation of high value exotic vegetables and cutflowers throughout the year. Thechanging cropping pattern in the Nilgiris, has led to high incidence of insect pests,nematodes and diseases in hill crops. During the last three decades agricultural scenarioin the Nilgiris has been drastically changed due to extensive and intensive croppingsystem with excess use of chemicals which has also led to the cessation of the beneficialmicrobial activity in the soil system, and paved way to the emergence of new pests anddiseases, and the minor pests/diseases became major. Due to the continuous applicationof chemical fertilizers, the soil has become highly acidic (pH 3 to 4.5) with highdeposition of salts. Though the NPK status of the soil in the Nilgiris is high, due to thelack of organic matter, the soil has become unfertile and unproductive. The poor soilhealth has reflected in the decline on the yield of priority crops like potato, cabbage,carrot and beans. The high cost of chemical inputs, erratic rainfall and high fluctuation inthe market price of vegetables have made agriculture a gambling. Besides these problems, monocropping of the tea cultivation in Nilgiris threatened the economy of thefarmers due to the present very low price for fresh green leaves.At this point of time, the scientists of Horticultural Research Station, TNAU,Ooty has realized that the low-cost organic farming systems could be the only way togrow quality fruits, vegetables, cutflowers and medicinal plants which are in greatdemand both in domestic and International markets and could fetch high returns. Thestation has played a key role in integrating the various biodynamic organic farmingsystems for the promotion of vedic agriculture in the Nilgiris. The Horticultural Research1
 
Station, Ooty has developed integrated biodynamic organic farming systems whichincludes the application of lupin as green manure, biodynamic compost, vermicompost,vermiwash, seed treatment/soil spraying/foliar spraying of biodynamic preparations (cow pat pit, horn manure and horn silica), application of native strains of biofertilizers(
 Azospirillum, Phosphobacteria
and
 Rhizobium
), bicontrol agents (
Metarrhiziumanisopliae, Trichoderma viride
and
 Pseudomonas fluorescens
), adoption of suitableintercropping/crop rotation systems, use of botanical extracts prepared from the locallyidentified weeds, spraying of dasagavya, use of insecticidal botanical baits, low costinsect traps, Agni hortra vedic homa farming techniques and spraying of Manchurian teaextract. In this system planting of different vegetables in certain days of a monthaccording to the planetary constellations which is very much in accordance to the vedictradition was also followed.
Organic farming technologies developed by Horticultural Research Station, Ooty :
Experiments were conducted to study the effect of Biodynamic organic farmingsystem on potato, cabbage, carrot, French beans, rosemary, carnation and gerbera atHorticultural Research Station, Ooty and also in the farmer’s fields during 2003-2006.The experiments consisted of the following four treatments
viz 
., (i) Biodynamic organicfarming, (ii) Conventional farming, (iii) Biodynamic + Conventional and (iv) Absolutecontrol.The results of the experiments revealed that adoption of integrated biodynamicorganic farming systems through scientific methods increased the mean yield of potato by10.4% and 10.9% under irrigated and rainfed conditions respectively over theconventional system. The practice of biodynamic organic farming system in potatocultivation has recorded the highest net profit of Rs. 1,10,000 under irrigated crop and Rs.60,000 under rainfed crop. But the conventional treatment has recorded only Rs. 45,000and Rs. 16,500 respectively. In carrot, 17.2% and 24.0% of additional yield was recordedin biodynamic organic farming system under irrigated and rainfed systems respectivelyand also found to increase contents of carbohydrate by 60 percent, protein by 66 percent,Vitamin C by 74 percent and
β
-carotene by 82 percent over the conventional system. In2
 
cabbage, 14.3% and 28.3% of additional yield was recorded in biodynamic organicfarming system under irrigated and rainfed systems respectively over the conventionalsystem. In French beans, the yield increase was 24.5% and 22.5% in biodynamic organicfarming system under irrigated and rainfed systems respectively over the conventionalsystem (Table 1, 2, 3).
Table 1. Yield performance of vegetables under biodynamic organic farming systemat Horticultural Research Station, Ooty.
TreatmentsPotato (t/ha)Carrot (t/ha)Cabbage (t/ha)French Beans (t/ha)IrrigatedRainfedIrrigatedRainfedIrrigatedRainfedIrrigatedRainfed
T
1
– Biodynamic38.1(10.4)21.2(10.9%)38.8(17.2%)22.2(24.0%)72.7(14.3%)40.8(28.3%)26.4(24.5%)17.4(22.5%)T
2
– Conventional34.519.133.118.662.331.821.214.2T
3
– Biodynamic +Conventional32.016.832.717.959.425.115.410.2T
4
– Absolute Control23.112.720.614.140.915.112.27.8CD at 0.053.832.423.652.982.633.412.031.90
*Percent increase over conventional
Table 2. Effect of biodynamic organic farming system on the Nutritive value of carrot cv Koroda (Irrigated)
TreatmentCarbohydrateg/100 gProteing/100 gVitamin c(mg)/ 100 g
β
carotenemg / 100 g
T
1
– Biodynamic20.41.519.58.2T
2
– Conventional12.80.911.24.51T
3
– Biodynamic + Conventional12.00.911.04.48T
4
– Absolute Control10.80.810.04.40
Table 3. Net profit in cultivation of biodynamic potato, cabbage, carrot and FrenchbeansSl.No.CropNet Profit inIrrigated Season (Rs.)Net profit inRainfed Season (Rs.)BiodynamicConventionalBiodynamicConventional
1.Potato1100004500060000165002.Cabbage2324501002008710069003.Carrot29000093200125000141004.French Beans1970005030085000166003
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